


The Rain-Bow

by Libbyfay



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: ... at least from Aziraphale's persective, Awkward Sexual Situations, But if you're here for the sex you'll be disappointed, Demisexual Aziraphale (Good Omens), Demisexual Crowley (Good Omens), Dream Sequence, Friends to Lovers, I mean ALL of them, M/M, Noah's Ark, Rainbows, Rainbows have lots of meanings, Romantic Gestures, Shared Dream, Smut, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:41:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22624951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Libbyfay/pseuds/Libbyfay
Summary: Crawly rested his cheek on Aziraphale’s downy hair.  Somehow, the angel still smelled of sunlight and grass even though they hadn’t seen either of those things in weeks.  He felt Aziraphale shudder a little as the tension left him, and Crawly blew out the candle.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 35
Kudos: 129





	The Rain-Bow

**3004 B.C. – Mesopotamia (what’s left of it)**

The ark tipped and rolled with no discernable pattern. Just when the mind began to anticipate the rhythm of the swells, the winds would change direction, and a sadistic new wave pattern would cause the deck to drop sickeningly. It was loud and cramped, and the stink was getting to be a bit much, even for one who loved all God’s creatures with every beat of his angelic heart.

The ark was survival, it was deliverance, but it was not a pleasant place.

Aziraphale had done everything in his power to make the journey bearable, but he was not supposed to let the humans know that he was helping. This was only the first of many missions that would carry the burden of invisibility. Aziraphale was not meant to receive any accolades or be immortalized in any song. It was all meant to look like Noah’s doing. So, the angel had been quietly fixing leaks, doubling the reserves of food and fresh water, gentling the animals, and miracling up food for the carnivores because Noah was too stupid to anticipate what the lions were going to eat.

He also did what he could to help the kids; Crawly’s kids, as he’d begun to think of them. Deep in the hold, in a space behind a wall of grain sacks, Crawly had hidden his stowaways.

They’d argued over them, of course. For the record, Aziraphale had come down very strongly against the whole thing and then stormed off to see to the animals. Two days later, a basket of fresh fruit had appeared below deck. From that point on, Aziraphale decided to avoid the lot of them and turn a blind eye to the whole affair.

A week later, Crawly sought him out. The demon had been hoping to take the edge off his sea sickness by tormenting the angel. He found Aziraphale, trying to re-capture an escaped weasel before it got trod upon by the oxen. Crawly stood for a while, enjoying Aziraphale’s inability to catch the thing. Eventually, he had begun narrating the angel’s failed attempts, giving a point value to each acrobatic lunge. But when the weasel slipped from his grasp for the fifth time, Aziraphale looked up in desperation, and the demon saw exhaustion in his red-rimmed eyes. All the teasing suddenly lost its savor, so Crawly grabbed a rake and guarded the exit. It took hours, but the two of them somehow managed to corner the vile creature and return it to its box. (Weasels became a running joke between them for the next few centuries.)

After that, the lines that had defined their relationship up to that point became rather blurred. Trying to save the remnants of life on earth, while battling a constant urge to vomit, had a way of bringing beings together.

They seemed to grow past the constant arguing about good and evil. Crawly’s kids were already on board, and unless Aziraphale planned to kill them himself, just to add them to God’s body count... Well. Aziraphale figured that his orders probably extended to all the living things aboard the ark.

At first, Crawly had questioned the Flood at every opportunity, but his bitter jibes seemed to upset the children. So, he eventually stopped commenting about the death and destruction going on outside, and Aziraphale hadn’t been forced to call anything ineffable in many days.

When a claustrophobic rhinoceros put a hole in the side of the ship, Aziraphale calmed the beast while Crawly patched the hull. They took it in shifts to watch over the animals and the kids. Reassuring the terrified children was harder emotional work, but the stench wasn’t nearly as bad behind the grain sacks. Aziraphale had taken to telling them stories to keep them entertained.

No one knew how long the Flood was supposed to go on, or if they did, someone had neglected to forward that memo along to Aziraphale. They lost track of time. It could have been a couple of weeks, or perhaps more. Quietly, in his heart, the angel had begun to wonder whether the rain- _bow_ was going to be worth it… if it came at all.

Late one night, Aziraphale stumbled down the ladder into the hold. The animals were relatively peaceful, and he’d come to check on the children, especially that one with the cough.

Crawly was sitting on the floor, against the wall of sacks. He looked as bedraggled as Aziraphale felt. He had tied his hair into a messy bun, apparently using a strip of fabric from his robes, but much of his hair was now escaping around his cheeks. The light of a single candle on the floor beside him made him look haggard. He was calmly watching the angel approach, a tired little smile on his face.

“Waiting for me?” Aziraphale whispered.

“Seems that way.” Crawly answered, noncommittally.

“Shall I take the next shift?” The angel asked rubbing unconsciously at the back of his neck.

Crawly shrugged. He didn’t seem interested in moving just yet. “All’s quiet down here.” He tipped his head toward the gap in the grain. “They’re sleeping peacefully. A demonic miracle. How are things above decks?”

Aziraphale rolled an aching shoulder. “Quiet for now. Even that crazy chicken seems to have calmed down, much to everyone’s delight.”

Crawly just stared up at him, until Aziraphale began to feel a little self-conscious. Without looking away, the demon adjusted his robes, piling the dark fabric in his lap to make room on the straw next to him. Then, he stretched one arm wide and tucked his chin to indicate the space on the floor to his right. That should have been appalling. But it wasn’t. It should have warranted a clear-cut “no”. But it didn’t. Aziraphale should have objected to such an obvious temptation. But he couldn’t.

He should be afraid. Hm. Wasn’t.

Angels weren’t supposed to need rest, but he couldn’t remember ever feeling so tired. Aziraphale found himself dropping to the ground at the demon’s side. He pulled his knees up to his chin but kept a little distance between them. Crawly sighed; his arm was still hanging in the air behind the angel’s back.

“Here.” He tapped a fingertip on Aziraphale’s far shoulder. It was an invitation to lean in, to rest. “Got to keep up your strength, Principality. We’re all counting on you.”

Aziraphale leaned back a few inches, against Crawly’s outstretched arm. Touch was new. They weren’t big on touch in Heaven. As far as Aziraphale could remember, he had never been in contact with another being for more than a few seconds, unless you counted healing the sick or holding babies. Of course, he and the demon certainly weren’t touching skin like _humans,_ but Crawly didn’t move his arm away. Rather, the demon rested his limb across the angel’s shoulders. Aziraphale wasn’t sure what he’d expected, maybe awkwardness or the scald of hellfire. He certainly hadn’t expected this loosening, softening feeling. Aziraphale dropped his head against the demon’s bony shoulder.

Crawly rested his cheek on Aziraphale’s downy hair. Somehow, the angel still smelled of sunlight and grass even though they hadn’t seen either of those things in weeks. He felt Aziraphale shudder a little as the tension left him, and Crawly blew out the candle.

* * *

The beach was long and empty. The sound of the little waves rushing up the sand and retreating was… familiar. _More damn water_ , Crawly thought. But the sound was different from the constant sound of the rain, which could always be heard faintly in every corner of ark.

The sky above was clear and wide, not blue exactly, maybe grey. More importantly, there were no rain clouds. No sun could be seen either, so it could have been dawn or dusk, some in-between time.

The sand was soft under their bare feet, but steady. The constant pitch and roll of the boat had stopped, thank somebody. And on this infinite beach, there was room, open space, room to breathe. No other beings were anywhere in sight, just an angel and a demon walking side by side, their wings unfurled.

Aziraphale stretched his wings and sighed with the relief of it. He looked around himself with a little smile. This was a good place. Crawly’s hair fell in ringlets again, like the first time they met. That was good too.

Crawly was just thinking how much stronger Aziraphale looked when he was feeling comfortable in himself, when the angel spoke.

“Where are we?”

“No clue.”

“Not that I’m complaining,” Aziraphale assured him, “but shouldn’t we be on the ark?”

“Pretty sure we still are. We fell asleep.”

“Oh.” Aziraphale was trying to puzzle this out.

“You aren’t much for sleeping, are you?”

“Wait. Is this a _dream?_ ” The angel lit up like a delighted child. “I’ve never had one, and I always wondered! Splendid!” He clapped his hands together at his chest. “I say, this is really wonderful, isn’t it?”

“Hold on!” Crawly said, squinting as he prepared his argument. “I’m definitely here, so I’m pretty sure this is MY dream.”

Aziraphale actually pouted then, pushing out his lower lip as he smoothed his glowing robes. That didn’t seem fair at all. He was enjoying this dream, and he didn’t see why Crawly got to lay claim to it. He decided to stand his ground. “Well, it’s a new experience for me, so I want half of it, at least!”

Crawly laughed out loud. What a delightfully absurd thing to say. “Ok. Fine.” He agreed. “The dream’s half yours. Happy now?”

The angel wiggled his shoulders, pleased. They kept walking together down the beach.

“I haven’t seen your wings in so long.” Aziraphale mused, looking over and openly admiring.

Crawly spread his wings a little wider, confident that they were quite impressive. “Can’t very well let them out now adays. With all the humans everywhere, filling up the place.”

Then, they both shared the same thought in the same moment: _fewer of them now_. Somehow, it didn’t feel right to bring up the Flood in this peaceful place.

“Well, it’s good to see them, anyway.”

“Yours too, Aziraphale.”

The angel noticed something ahead of them, still a long way off. “Wonder what that is?” He pointed down the beach.

“Nnh. Just some humans, I expect.”

“Never a moment’s peace, to ourselves.” he grumbled.

Crawly waved this off. “They’re not hurting anybody. Probably think they’re alone on the beach.”

“But it’s OUR dream!” Aziraphale protested, and Crawly couldn’t help but smile at that. “Well, we certainly aren’t not going to hide our wings, in our _own_ dream, just when we are enjoying ourselves!”

“Yeah, damn right. You tell ‘em, Aziraphale!”

The angel slowed his pace and kicked the sand a little with his toes, to cheer himself up. “This place feels nice.”

“Sure does.” Crawly agreed, as he brushed Aziraphale’s wings with the tips of his primaries. Then, he grew self-conscious and changed the subject. “Plus, there’s no rodents here, wherever we are, so I’d say that’s an improvement.”

“Weasels aren’t rodents.” Aziraphale corrected, primly.

“Yes.” Crawly rolled his eyes. “Thanks.”

But now it wasn’t just an aimless stroll down an endless beach; there was a landmark ahead of them, and they would approach it eventually. As they got closer, they could make out two humans laying on the sand. They were rolling around a bit.

“What on earth…” Aziraphale began.

“Carnal pleasure, Principality. Can’t you tell?”

The angel tisked, quietly. “What else is new? They’re ever so predictable.”

“I know I’m supposed to encourage the sins of the flesh,” Crawly went on, conversationally. “But what’s the point? They’re always doing it, already!”

“Even in other people’s dreams, apparently.” Aziraphale had The-Look-of-Disapproval down pat. “I just don’t see the attraction, do you?”

Crawly thought about this a moment and looked at the angel’s profile. “Nah,” he managed.

Aziraphale wondered whether frank conversations were more acceptable in a dream. “So, have you ever… uh…”

Crawly gaped. “Wha?” He seemed appalled, and Aziraphale immediately regretted the question. “You mean like a human? With humans? Seriously! What do you take me for?”

“Ah.” It wasn’t the response he’d expected. “Sorry, Crawly.”

“Don’t be. It’s just…” the demon struggled to put it into words. “Not worth the Effort.”

“I agree.” The angel nodded once, satisfied.

“On the other hand,” Crawly mused, watching Aziraphale closely. “Love is…”

But Aziraphale just babbled over him, “Oh, yes of course. Certainly. I mean, babies make it all worth it, I suppose.”

Crawly blinked. “What’ve babies got to do with it?”

They appeared to be talking at cross purposes. “You know, carnal pleasure… babies!” he explained.

“Huh?” Crawly seemed confused.

Aziraphale sighed, accepting. “Oh, never mind.”

But now they had come close enough to see the two humans clearly. They were dressed strangely. The humans they were used to seeing wore loose, sack-like garments, but these two were wearing form-fitting cloth, tailored to the shapes of their bodies. The one in creamy tones had his back to them, while the human on the far side was only visible as a long black-clad leg slung up over the other’s thighs. They were holding each other.

Crawly hesitated.

“ _Our_ dream.” Aziraphale insisted firmly, raised his chin and kept right on walking. The demon followed, aware that his heart was beating strangely quickly, all of the sudden.

A few more steps, and they both heard a husky voice say, “Oh, _angel!_ ”

Aziraphale stopped in his tracks and swiveled his head so quickly in Crawly’s direction that he might have given himself whip lash. His eyes held an accusing question, but the demon emphatically shook his head. He looked just as surprised as Aziraphale, eyes wide, hands spread. Baffled, he mouthed the words, “No idea!”

They watched in horrified fascination, as the lighter-clad man pushed himself up to lay above the other. The two looked into each other’s eyes for a moment, and their profiles were clearly visible to the ethereal and occult beings looking on. Despite the strange clothes, despite the strange shiny object covering the other man’s face, there was no mistaking it.

“It’s us.” Aziraphale breathed.

“Can’t.” Crawly answered, his voice strangled.

“I don’t under-“

Just then, the _other_ Aziraphale, spoke. “Crowley.” He said clearly, and he pushed familiar fingers through the spiky red hair.

(Aziraphale realized guiltily that even when the demon’s hair was cut short, it still looked very soft.)

(Crawly thought: That name’s much better. Why didn’t I think of that?)

The two on the sand kissed each other, deep and hungrily. _Crowley’s_ long fingers were visible, roving, caressing.

Aziraphale, Angel of the Eastern Gate just stood there, confused; very, very confused. Until a word escaped the cave of that kiss, “Love…” one of them murmured, and that, he understood. As comprehension dawned, Aziraphale’s hands flew to his mouth, covering his sudden embarrassment, and most of all covering his lips… God knows why.

The other Aziraphale, the more human one, broke the kiss and sat up, straddling Crowley’s hips. He moved so quickly that Crawly thought he might be about to strike the other-him. Instead, he grabbed the strange contraption off the bridge of the other’s nose and threw it far away. The gesture was graceful and triumphant, like throwing rice at a wedding. The offending little object hit the sand somewhere far away, and the other Aziraphale looked pleased with himself. Even in these strange circumstances, that smug little smile was an expression that Crawly knew well. 

The look that came over Crowley’s now-exposed features was unlike anything Aziraphale had ever seen.

Crowley reached up with both hands and grabbed the front of the other Aziraphale’s strange tailored clothes. He was trying to pull his partner back down to him. The other Aziraphale lifted his chin to indicate the complicated cloth arranged at his neck. Crowley grinned and struggled awkwardly up to sitting, not an easy task with his lap so full. After a bit of scooting around, the two of them sat together in a pile, and Crowley could use both hands to untie the cloth. He plucked reverently at the collar until something loosened and came free. He slid a long strip of cloth off the other Aziraphale’s neck and tossed it away with the same celebratory gesture. The other Aziraphale stretched as if freed and went back to kissing the lips off of his partner. 

Aziraphale felt a little guilty. Was this voyeurism? Watching Adam and Eve had been voyeurism, he was fairly certain. But this. What kind of sin was this?

“Crawly, what’s… What _is_ this?”

He half expected the two to look up, embarrassed at the sound of his voice, but they were otherwise occupied. Or perhaps, they didn’t occupy the same space or time or something. The heated kissing continued, now accompanied by strange little noises.

“Dreams are weird.” Crawly hedged.

“So, they say.” Aziraphale conceded. “But are dreams usually like _this_?”

“Um. Not really.” He answered, truthfully. “Actually, no. No. This is especially… uh.”

Somehow a portion of the other Aziraphale’s clothing had come loose, untucked or unhooked, and Crowley had gotten his hands underneath, against the skin of his back. Aziraphale unconsciously extended his wings higher.

“Does this mean… are we meant to be humans? Do you think?”

As if in answer, the other Aziraphale snapped his fingers in a gesture as familiar as breathing. A wide, blanket appeared on the sand beneath them. It was the same cream-and-blue-striped pattern as the uncomfortable little knot which had previously been around his neck. His partner laughed, low in his throat, and clicked his fingers in response. Every stitch of the strange clothing vanished from their bodies, and the two of them tumbled backward, naked, in each other’s arms.

Aziraphale’s eyes were round as saucers, and all the blood seemed to have drained from his corporation. “Not humans, then.”

“That was a good move.” Crawly muttered, appreciatively.

Scandalized, the angel gasped, “Crawly!”

“What?!” He gestured defensively to the blanket and the naked _them_. “I’m just sayin’, nice teamwork. Plus, no sand in the cracks!”

“You-” Aziraphale sputtered, but now things on the blanket were becoming even more interesting.

The demon was above his lover now, his back arching like a cat, as the angel turned his head to let his neck be kissed. Somehow, without the odd clothing, they looked even more recognizable as _themselves,_ and this was disconcerting in the extreme.

But Aziraphale had never before had the opportunity to appreciate the line of Crawly’s back, from the ridges of his spine to the tight curve of his backside. He was beautiful. 

“You’re so beautiful.” Aziraphale’s voice gasped from the blanket.

Crawly was also noticing details for the first time. The curve of a round thigh looked soft, like everything else about Aziraphale, but strong enough to hold someone tight and never let him go.

“Hold me.” Crowley said, and that request brought both strong legs wrapping around him. They rocked gently into each other, rubbing themselves together… like humans.

The observers stood very still, side by side.

“God, yes.” The other Aziraphale blasphemed.

“Oh... Damn. I love you, angel.” He lifted himself and snaked a hand down between their bodies.

Aziraphale was terrified to look over and meet Crawly’s eyes. Still, he couldn’t help it; he needed to look away. Maybe he needed some confirmation that this was really happening. But when he turned to the demon, there was no chance of making any eye-contact. Crawly was staring, stone faced, completely absorbed. His usually expressive countenance was unreadable. He didn’t blink or breathe.

Crawly had worn a similar look when they’d first observed Adam and Eve together. At the time, Aziraphale had been thinking it was such an _odd_ way to make babies. Crawly had been thinking… something else, perhaps, but he’d never found out what.

Aziraphale tried to look somewhere else, anywhere else, but the sounds of carnal pleasure continued.

“Here.” His own voice murmured. “Let me…”

Aziraphale looked at his toes in the sand.

“You’re ssso good.” The demon hissed.

Aziraphale picked lint off of his robes.

“Like that, darling.” He sounded out of breath. “Oh!”

Aziraphale wrung his hands.

“Mmm. Please.” Then urgently, “Fuck!”

Aziraphale bit down on his lip and prayed this would be over soon.

“I love you!”

Aziraphale looked out at the far horizon and was startled by another revelation.

“Crawly! Look!” He exclaimed, pointing into the distance.

The demon was surprised enough by the shout to drag his attention away for a moment, following Aziraphale’s gaze. As the lovers on the beach behind them cried out in pleasure, the angel and the demon beheld another marvel arching over the water.

“I think…” Aziraphale gasped. “It’s the rain- _bow_!”

* * *

They awoke in the same moment and found their faces very near in the semi-darkness. Crawly’s cheeks were damp, and Aziraphale’s lip trembled. What could they say? Would they admit to what they’d seen? Deny it? The next words spoken would either make meaning out of the vision or make light of it.

Their futures hung in the balance.

Aziraphale drew a breath…

And he suddenly felt the need to check on the animals. Really, he ought to make certain that the head-count was still correct. _Two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life,_ as God had commanded. (He’d start with the two of them, he thought confusedly. One. Two. And now he’d need to count the rest.)

Aziraphale jumped to his feet and dashed away, climbing the ladder so swiftly that he must have wasted a miracle on the exit.

“Well.” The demon muttered to himself. “That was a thing.”

* * *

The Dream was never discussed. Perhaps it had been nothing but a strange, private experience brought on by exhaustion and sea sickness. It certainly made no sense to think that the other had shared in it. The experience did nothing to alleviate their confusion and general discomfort around sexuality. In the version of reality within which they _currently_ existed, sex still did not seem to be worth the Effort.

But the Dream did bring about some changes for them both.

Firstly, Aziraphale was so disturbed by the whole experience that he did not sleep for the next 5,000 years. On the other hand, Crawly, who now thought of himself as exclusively as “Crowley”, took to sleeping regularly and intentionally.

When humans became skilled with glass and metal, Crowley immediately commissioned craftspeople to make him curious spectacles of a very specific design. The angel had given him quite a queer look when he’d first seen them. He told Aziraphale that he wore the new lenses to hide his eyes from the humans. In truth, he wore them in the hope that someday, Aziraphale would pull them off and cast them away.

Aziraphale was especially pleased when bowties became the fashion. He liked them, he explained, because they gave him “pride of bearing”, fitting for an angel. No other reason.

From that day on, and for the rest of their existence, Crowley called Aziraphale “angel”. And he always meant it with the same purity of feeling that he’d heard in his own voice, that first time.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this took some courage to write because it is a lot more … ahem... intimate than anything I've ever written before. I'm deciding to be brave! The beautiful friends I've made in this fandom have encouraged me to explore all the aspects of myself, and to stretch myself. Thank you to every one of you who chat with me in the comments and pour your hearts and souls into your work. 
> 
> I'm going out on a limb here with this one. I hope this story entertained or at least intrigued you. If so, I would love to hear from you. Let's connect and continue to co-create this beautiful, hopeful, Good Omens universe.


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